Prince Harry makes heartbreaking confession about parenthood

(Image credit: Dominic Lipinski)

published 8 August 2020

The Duke of Sussex has expressed concerns about what worries him as a father.

Prince Harry revealed his fears over the effect social media is having on young children
The Duke wrote a personal essay for Fast Company
It follows royal news that Prince Harry wanted Archie to be 'best friends' with his cousins

Prince Harry has said that one of his main concerns as a father is the negative impact social media can have on young children.

The Duke of Sussex addressed the issue as part of a personal essay for Fast Company, just weeks after he and Meghan Markle announced their support for Stop Hate For Profit – a campaign against hateful content on social media sites.

Prince Harry, 35, became a father for the first time last year and it has opened his eyes to a “crisis of hate” amid the digital landscape and the negative effect that can have on the younger generation.

In a rare first-person piece for Fast Company, Harry wrote, "Companies that purchase online ads must also recognise that our digital world has an impact on the physical world—on our collective health, on our democracies, on the ways we think and interact with each other, on how we process and trust information.

"Because, if we are susceptible to the coercive forces in digital spaces, then we have to ask ourselves—what does this mean for our children? As a father, this is especially concerning to me."

His heart-felt comments come just weeks after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex pledged their allegiance to Stop Hate For Profit in the wake of George Floyd’s death.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced they’d be working closely with the leaders of the Stop Hate For Profit campaign – including NAACP, Colour of Change, and Anti-Defamation League. All of whom are campaigning to boycott Facebook’s advertising after the social media site reportedly failed to stop the spread of hateful content.

Confirming the royal couple’s involvement with the cause, a spokesperson for NAACP tweeted, “We are grateful for the leadership of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in recognising the importance of solidarity in this moment. Your commitment to truth, justice, and equality are appreciated.”

The couple have been no stranger to online criticism and even made the shock decision to step down as senior royals earlier this year to live a more “peaceful life”.

Georgia is a Celebrity and Royal Writer working across GoodTo and Woman & Home, and the Director and Founder of communications company Farq Media. Prior to this she was Online Editor at New! Magazine – managing all of their digital content and social media accounts. Where she interviewed all of the hottest reality TV stars and spent far too much time commuting to London. She trained at Nottingham Trent University – where she achieved First Class Honours in Print Journalism whilst juggling copious amounts of work experience, freelance writing, blogging and having far too much fun with the dance society.